American Revolution

• Various causes of the American Revolution:

  • Taxation without representation
  • Other colonial grievances towards British government
  • Revolutionary ideas of the colonists
• What should go into a declaration of independence?

  • New laws?
  • Freedom?
  • Tax
  • Celebrate?
  • Foreign relations?
• • The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history
  • It was created in an atmosphere of complaints about treatment
• The Declaration of Independence:

  • goals were to rally the troops, win foreign allies, and to announce the creation of a new country
  • Separation from Britain threatened their sense of security, economic stability and identity
  • This sought to inspire and unite them through the vision of a better life
  • Lists 27 complaints about King George III
• Consequences of the American Revolution:

  • Politically

  -> Power and authority of the government derived from the people

  -> Political participation grew as more people could vote

  • Economically

  -> Opened the western territories for invasion and settlement

  -> Americans began to create their own manufactures, no longer content to rely on those in Britain
• No taxation without representation


  They shouldn't need to pay taxes if they didn't have representation under British law